Our Initiatives and Community Outreach

Community Outreach

• The College maintains a privately funded civic engagement fund that enables interaction between the College and local civic and business leaders.
• College officials have made service learning and community outreach a priority for Bergen students. From last year, service learning increased by 56% at the College. The intent remains for students to become more engaged with their communities and driven toward becoming responsible citizens.
• In the Technology Education Center at the College’s main campus, three state-of-the-art 16-inch reflecting telescopes are used for celestial viewings on Saturday nights that are open to the public

Initiatives

• Creating awareness regarding the sustainability of the environment remains a key initiative of Bergen officials. The College now offers “green” courses and holds events geared toward promoting the protection of natural resources.
• The College created an autism taskforce, which meets to advance autism education and awareness. Bergen also has a certificate program for people who work with the autistic population.
• The College assists people with disabilities through its Regional Center for Disability Employment, known as the “MOSAIC Center.” The organization helps the disabled secure employment, retain jobs and advance their careers; many local businesses are partners in the project.
• President Ryan is the chairman of the American Association of Community Colleges’ new national suburban council, which studies how colleges impact suburban communities.
• Broadcasting to all of Bergen County and parts of Hudson and Passaic counties, Torch TV is the College's 24-hour a day, seven-days a week television network. Torch TV is headlined by such shows as "In the Public Interest," President Ryan's public affairs interview show featuring guests from the region.

Division of Continuing Education, Corporate and Public Sector Training

• The Division of Continuing Education serves as a source of economic development and has built important partnerships with the Bergen County Workforce Investment Board, the Small Business Development Center and other local businesses, corporations, and government agencies.
• The College provides a full range of resources and services to support the needs of businesses including professional training, retail skills development, workforce readiness, business planning and consulting, marketing services, and conference and meeting facilities.
• The Division offers a variety of course offerings in Interior Design, Wedding Planning/Consulting, Green Technology, People’s Law, and Allied Health to adults who seek to pursue a higher education.